What’s in News?
● Based on its positive results, the Ministry of Agriculture has approved IFFCO’s nano DAP and notified it in the Fertilizer Control Order (FCO).
● The Center has also granted IFFCO and Coromandel International permission to start producing nano-DAP for three years.
Significance:
● Since that nano-DAP is projected to cost less than traditional DAP, this could aid the government in lowering its subsidy, which up till January FY23 had already surpassed 2.07 lakh crore.
● It would also help India save foreign exchange.
● To meet its domestic need, India imports massive quantities of DAP and MoP (muriate of potash).
● Cost efficient: IFFCO declared that nano DAP will be offered at Rs 600 per bottle of 500 ml. The price of one bag of DAP, which currently costs Rs 1,350, will be equal to one bottle.
DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate):
● The preferred source of phosphorus for farmers is DAP which is the second most widely used fertiliser in India after urea.
● DAP fertiliser grade Includes 46% phosphorus and 18% nitrogen (P2O5). In controlled settings, ammonia and phosphoric acid are combined to create DAP in fertiliser facilities.
● Rock Phosphate is the key raw material for DAP and NPK fertilisers and India is 90% dependent on imports.
Nano urea:
● IFFCO introduced liquid nano urea, a nano fertiliser, in June 2021 as an alternative to conventional urea.
● To make nano ur ea, it has established various manufacturing facilities in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
● Nano urea is not subject to government subsidies and costs Rs 240 per bottle.
● However for conventional urea, the government offers a significant subsidy to make sure
that farmers can afford the fertiliser.
Benefits of Nano urea:
● Higher crop yields
● Increased income for farmers
● Better food quality
● Reduction in chemical fertiliser usage
● Environment friendly
● Easy to store and transport
● Nano urea can easily penetrate through the cell wall or through leaf stomatal pores.
Issues/challenges:
● Imbalance nutrients:
● For the past few years, the country’s use of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and
potassium (K) has significantly diverged from the optimal NPK use ratio of 4:2:1. It was 6.5:2.8:1 in 2020-21 and 7.7:3.1:1 in 2021-22. This is mainly due to:
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- High govt. subsidies
- High sales
- Demand and supply gap:
- Around 26 million tonnes of urea is produced domestically, compared to about 35 million tonnes of demand. The gap is met through imports.
Initiatives take by the govt. to make India Aatmanirbhar in phosphatic fertilisers:
● A plan of action was developed to make India the world leader in the manufacturing of fertilisers using domestic resources.
● The government has ordered to commercially exploit and increase production in the 30 lakh MT of phosphate deposits that are now available in Rajasthan, the central region of peninsular India, Hirapur (MP), Lalitpur (UP), Mussoorie syncline, and Cuddapah basin (AP).
● The exploration of potential potassic ore resources in Rajasthan’s Satipura, Bharusari, and Lakhasar as well as in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka is currently being expedited through discussion and planning with the Department of Mining and Geological Survey of India.
IIFCO
● It is a multi-state cooperative society with headquarters in the capital.
● It was established in 1967 with 57 members and has since grown to be one of the largest
co-ops and a major producer of fertiliser in the country.
● Future plans of IFFCO:
● IFFCO intends to introduce Nanopotash, Nanozinc, and Nanocopper fertilisers also. SOURCE: The Hindu, PIB, Business Line